Success Stories: Implementing Restorative Practices During the Pandemic
“That commitment to not letting obstacles derail us was essential in our ability to get the training done, but it also demonstrated that we as a school took the training in RP as serious, because we refused to let it fall by the wayside. There simply was no reason not to continue the work, because the work was important.” - Steve Burham, Assistant Principal, Andrews Middle School
We know from experience that each person who participates in a restorative circle has the opportunity to be changed by it, and that every circle is an opportunity to deepen trust and connection - which, over time, is life-changing. Even in the middle of a pandemic, when there are more obstacles than ever to coming together, we saw that when people are committed to implementing Restorative Practices because they truly recognize their transformative power as being foundational to everything else, they find ways to implement them. Here we share two stories of how individuals implemented Restorative Practices with heart and creativity this year, after attending our trainings in Restorative Practices and Circle Keeping. At the end of each training, we work with participants to figure out how to bring the skills they have learned back to their communities. We are always moved by how quickly participants put the ideas of RP into practice, and as we follow up with them in post-workshop consultations, we offer support in adapting and solidifying how the practices can best be applied in their unique context. Thanks to Andrews Middle School in Medford, MA and Stoughton High School in Stoughton, MA for sharing their stories - one about creating a pilot and the other about starting Community Building Circles with the adults in the building.
Approach #1: Creating a Pilot
Steve Burnham, Assistant Principal for the Madeleine Dugger Andrews Middle School in Medford, MA had an idea about the importance and function of circles, but after taking our Circle Keeper Training in March 2021, he became excited about the potential impact of holding Community Building Circles for both adults and students alike. Taking the Circle Keeper skills that he had learned, he got to work creating opportunities for teachers and students to participate in talking circles, and was met with enthusiasm. The dedication to the practices, despite time pressures and obstacles, is what made all the difference. Here is his experience, in his own words:
“My knowledge of RP prior to the P2RC training was general in nature. Having never had formal training, I had some previous experiences with RP through working with other educators who were familiar with it. I would use elements of it and run circles, however they were not always designed around a cohesive theme or well planned. Therefore, any success I had with RP was due to sheer force or personality, and not because I had a strong understanding of what I was doing. The P2RC training helped bridge the gap between my actions/words and actual understanding/skill level.
I decided to introduce Community Building circles to a pilot group of 6th grade teachers at my school. Our entire faculty wholeheartedly believes that creating strong connections with students is an essential element of effective teaching and learning. Designing and running community building circles has been a fantastic way to build on this strength by giving them a formal vehicle to hear from and check in with every student voice. Faculty who have been involved in the training consistently report that they have had students participate in circles who they had never heard participate in a traditional classroom setting.
Our biggest challenge was time. Time is always a precious commodity to educators who already have a seemingly impossible list of goals to meet during the day, but in a year where the faculty was asked to learn how to operate with remote, hybrid, and fully in-person groups it was truly at a premium. An ever evolving schedule and competing demands throughout the day truly made it difficult to envision a world where we would have the time to pursue something like RP. However, JJ and Candace proved to be extraordinarily flexible, committed to making it work, and willing to shift gears as needed whenever possible. That commitment to not letting obstacles derail us was essential in our ability to get the training done, but it also demonstrated that we as a school took the training in RP as serious, because we refused to let it fall by the wayside. There simply was no reason not to continue the work, because the work was important.
On a personal level, my greatest accomplishment has been running circles for faculty and students. I've run circles as check-ins with staff, as professional development for staff, and even introduced circles to district-wide administrators by running a circle for them. My hope is that we can move from just using circles at the Andrews to using them district-wide, and the feedback that I've gotten from people at the conclusion of circles is fantastic. I have also greatly enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm of my own staff as they have created, designed, and implemented the circle process.”
Approach #2: Starting with the adults
After taking our Introduction to Restorative Practices training in fall 2020, a group of school psychologists and counselors from Stoughton High School were struck by the power of holding community building circles among adults. While the school already had a peer mediation program for students, they knew they wanted to focus on strengthening the foundation of the school climate by starting with the staff. To that end, they decided to spark an interest among their colleagues by holding circles among all staff, including counselors, teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers and custodians. The circles proved highly successful in creating a nourishing and supportive environment for staff, and they generated dedication to incorporating circles in the 2021-22 school year. Cary Sommers (School Psychologist), Georgann Lewis (Adjustment Counselor), Marianne Kimball (School Psychologist) and Terri Croghan (Peer Mediation Coordinator) were the members of the RP working group. Here are some of the keys to their working process:
“[As a Restorative Committee] Collectively our knowledge of RP ranged from a spirited commitment, to skilled practice. Over the last 20 years, since the 1990’s, Stoughton High School has had a successful restorative peer mediation program.
One of our restorative committee members has been the cornerstone of the restorative peer mediation program since 2005, offering a solid foundation for our current endeavor. The shared passion of our committee members has been of tremendous value. Faculty willingness to explore restorative concepts with the team made this all possible. The team would be remiss not to recognize our principal Juliette Miller. Ms. Miller continues to give the committee her faith, trust, and support to develop and implement restorative practices.
Our initial challenge was how to initiate this work within the COVID-19 pandemic. As a team we made the decision to start with a bottom up approach by focusing on community building. The team was mindful regarding how to introduce restorative concepts. Through ongoing collaboration, we agreed upon some strategies to introduce restorative practices. The team recognized, given the challenges of this year, that community circling aligned with the bottom-up approach and enabled community building among the faculty.
As a team, we were fortunate to have experienced many successes this year. Regarding the team: the willingness to reflect and engage with each other with honest reflection, our bi-monthly commitment to the project, and the resulting data, and our ability to sit and reflect on the data to begin discussion on next steps, are some of the team’s strengths. The team achieved our short-term goals. Our goals were being respectful of the unique demands of teaching this year and creating a mindful approach. The team chose to use community circling, emphasizing its application both in the classroom and from a social emotional perspective.”
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It is always deeply rewarding to hear stories of how Restorative Practices are making a difference in our communities. We acknowledge the hard work and dedication that it takes to make this shift towards restorative culture, and are honored to do this work alongside all of you.